Zero's Curse
by LadyJet2
Summary: SD Gundam Force: Deathscythe puts a curse on his old companion, Zero, removing him of his magic, as well as lessening his physical threat.
1. Forget Me Not

Title: SD Gundam Force – Zero's Curse

Author: LJ

Summery: Deathscythe puts a curse on his old companion, Zero, removing him of his magic, as well as lessening his physical threat.

Pairings: Bakunetsumaru/Zero, Captain/Guneagle

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and romance

Author's note: HA! Finally figured out what else I wanted to do to Zero to be evil. cough wanted to torment Zero/Baku for a while, finally came up with a semi-conscious plotline. Enjoy! .

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Please don't sue! I'm a poor college Student!

Chapter One: Forget-me-Not

"DAMN them! Damn you Zero!" Deathscythe growled and clenched his fists in anger, not that anyone could see him with his cloaking ability still functioning. Glaring through the one way portal left by one of those imbeciles Zako warriors, he watched as Zero laughed easily with the other members of the SD Gundam Force. Zero had gotten strong, very strong while he was in Neotopia, and his magic had somehow changed. It was stronger as well. There was also something ELSE in side of the magic, a spark or perhaps an outright fire of passion. One of the more intelligent Zako's made mention that he was fighting a lot more like the red Musha, or at least that they were sharing more of each other's style of fighting. Deathscythe growled and summoned his dark mana beginning to chant under his breath. He watched Zero carefully through the portal, and finally finished, smiling darkly. It would take some time to take full effect, but it would be done, and Zero would be much less of a threat to him, but more of a burden to everyone else. After all, he knew his old comrade's mindset well. He hated being useless…

OOooOO

"Come on guys! Why not go for a swim!" Shute said smiling at the three Gundams on the dock.

"We are not equipped for such actions, Shute…" Captain said logically.

"Captain is right, not to mention our buoyancy is non-existent. We'd sink like rocks," Zero said frowning hovering inches above the dock.

"Yeah, besides that I'd end up evaporating all the water, y'know…'blazing samurai' and all…" Bakunetsumaru looked around nervously, obviously trying to hide something. Zero looked over at him and laughed.

"That and can't swim!" Zero said smugly putting his hands on his hips. Baku glared at him and tensed.

"You're afraid of water! Like a big cat!" Zero blushed angrily and glared at the red and white Musha.

"No I'm not!"

"You are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"Come on guys! Stop acting like five year olds!" Shute cried treading water in the pond. Captain sighed and pulled the two arguing Gundams apart.

"Stop it. You argue like this every time you get, one of these days it's going to end up hurting someone!" The two Gundams shot the leader of the group a disgruntled look and crossed their arms over their chests.

"Zero started it!" Baku said pouting and avoiding looking at the Knight Gundam.

"You asked for it!" Zero said glaring at the Musha Gundam. Captain sighed and felt a sweat drop roll down his forehead.

"Just please stop…" Captain asked looking at them. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves while we have some time off. Not arguing over who's afraid of water or who can't swim." The two looked at Captain and sighed.

"Okay…" Baku said nodding slowly.

"I agree. It is rather childish of a Knight to argue over such petty things," Zero agreed, before holding out a hand to Baku. "Truce?" Bakunetsumaru looked at him and smiled shaking his hand.

"Truce." Zero smiled back before it turned into a mischievous one and easily tossed the red and white Gundam into the water.

"GAAAH!!" Zero laughed and landed on the dock as Baku splashed into the pond, holding his sides.

"Zero!" Captain cried looking at shock at the Knight. Zero smiled innocently and put his hands behind his back.

"What?"

"Tenkyouken!" came a garbled noise from deep under the water. Suddenly, the dock burst into splinters and both Zero and Captain splashed into the water, sinking like rocks. Shute covered his face with a free arm and shook his head smiling at his friends' antics. Looking down into the water, he could see Zero grumbling about something, and Baku laughing. Captain looked up and shrugged at Shute before activating his jump pack and shooting up to the surface.

"Apparently they don't understand the word 'truce'," he said shaking his head. Shute chuckled and shrugged.

"It's okay. If they ever stopped arguing, I'd start worrying about them."

OOooOO

Evening soon fell upon the quad, and nighttime was close on its heels. Shute bid his friends farewell, heading to his house to get ready for bed. Captain, Zero and Baku waved goodbye and retreated back to the SDG base. As they came closer to the hand shaped cloud that hid the base, Zero picked up Baku from under the arms and took off higher, Captain following with his booster pack. Upon flying through the protective cloud mask, and landing on the deck, they were greeted by Guneagle and Gunbike.

"Hey Captain!" Guneagle said smiling. Captain smiled back and walked over.

"Everything been going well while we were gone?" he asked. Guneagle nodded and chuckled.

"Of course! With me around, you guys could probably take a week off if you wanted!"

"Don't get cocky, kid," Gunbike said eyeing the flyer. Guneagle smiled and shrugged.

"Well either way. How was Shute?"

"Good, we went swimming…sort of," Captain said shrugging.

"More like sinking than swimming," the Lacroan knight commented giving a look to Baku, who growled at him.

"You said a truce! You didn't have to throw me into the water!" Captain sighed and hung his head. Guneagle patted his shoulder, feeling sorry for his idol.

"Let them argue, for once, Cap. You can't play peacekeeper to them all the time." Captain nodded and smiled at the younger Gundam.

"True. I need to get some food before I get some rest tonight. Swimming with Shute definitely built up some hunger." Guneagle smiled and put his arm around the smaller Gundam.

"No problem! C'mon then I'll make you my specialty!" Guneagle ushered Captain into the main base, Gunbike following, leaving the two foreign Gundams to argue to their heart's content.

"You're being completely unreasonable, Baku!" Zero cried crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from the other.

"You were being mean!" Baku cried blinking and noticing that no one else was around. "They left us alone out here again…" he muttered.

"Like I care. They don't need to baby sit me! I'm a knight of Lacroa!" Zero huffed but lowered himself down to the floor of the base and looked at Baku, who was still glaring at him.

"I would at least like an apology. That wasn't nice," he said, not even bothering to hide the hurt in his voice. Zero sighed, sliding his mask to the side and went over holding his hand, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry. I let temptation get the best of me. Forgive me?" Baku smiled and slipped his mask to the side and returned the kiss smiling.

"I forgive you. Let's get inside before someone stumbles on us, kay?" Baku looked around nervously and Zero nodded.

"Agreed." Dropping Baku's hand he slipped his mask back on and left to enter the base. Baku smiled and followed, slipping his mask back into place. No one else in the base knew of their relationship, and they were still nervous of letting everyone know about it. After all, they were in a different world. Their customs were much different from their home worlds, and they were afraid of retribution for their relationship.

"Zero…when do you think we should tell them about us…?" Baku asked walking next to the blue knight. Zero looked at him and blushed shrugging.

"I don't know. I'm still afraid that they would think ill of us because of…well…our lifestyle choices." Zero shrugged a bit and continued to hover slowly towards the hall that held the quarters for the base. Baku shrugged and stopped when the Knight did at his quarters.

"True…and I know you want to tell them before we start to consider sharing a room." Baku looked slightly down trodden at the prospect of having less time together with his partner. Zero nodded but smiled putting a hand on Baku's shoulder, landing softly.

"How about tomorrow…?" Baku looked up and smiled brightly.

"You sure?" Zero smiled and nodded slipping his mask back into the recesses of his helmet, showing his very handsome features.

"Very. We need to stop being afraid. They're our friends, I'm sure they will understand, if not support our relationship." Baku nodded and slipped his mask back and held Zero's hand.

"Tomorrow…I'll make sure you remember, okay?" Zero laughed and pulled Baku close pulling him into his quarters so that there would be less of a chance of someone seeing.

"Promise…" Zero smiled and kissed Baku, his eyes slipping closed as he willingly opened his mouth for Baku. Baku sighed and kissed back, slipping his tongue over Zero's lips, tasting his partner. Every time they kissed so intimately, Baku could feel Zero put a little of his magic behind the kiss, sending shivers down Baku's back, as well as a tingling sensation all through his body as the magic twined with his own spiritual abilities. Zero gasped slightly as Baku returned the favor, heating up his body slightly, and warming Zero from within with his spiritual fire. Groaning a little, Zero reluctantly broke the kiss panting slightly, feeling the warmth of Baku still run through his system. Looking at the Musha, he could see the tendrils of his magic caress his form.

"Wow…" Bakunetsumaru said sighing, slowly opening his eyes. Zero smiled at him, noticing how his own magic began to form a pair of wings before being absorbed into Bakunetsumaru's body.

"We really should get to sleep; and in our OWN beds." Baku sighed but nodded.

"Okay. Goodnight Zero." Baku reluctantly let go of Zero's hands as he left smiling back at him. Zero smiled and chuckled.

"Goodnight, Baku. Sweet dreams." Baku chuckled and waved heading for his own room. Zero sighed and closed his door before walking over to his bed. Sitting down on the thick feather mattress he fixed his blankets, shoving the extra two he usually kept down, knowing he would be quite warm for the rest of the night thanks to Baku. Laying down and cuddling under the soft blankets he said a quick prayer for the night and fell asleep, feeling as though he could go through with telling his friends the truth about his and Baku's relationship, regardless of any butterflies in his stomach.

OOooOO

"Sleep well Zero, for tomorrow you will be much less of a problem for the Dark Axis, as well as me." Deathscythe laughed and watched through the portal and the changes took shape, and Zero began to shrink.


	2. Morning Glory

Title: SD Gundam Force – Zero's Curse

Author: LJ

Summery: Deathscythe puts a curse on his old companion, Zero, removing him of his magic, as well as lessening his physical threat.

Pairings: Bakunetsumaru/Zero, Captain/Guneagle

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and romance

Author's note: HA! Finally figured out what else I wanted to do to Zero to be evil. cough wanted to torment Zero/Baku for a while, finally came up with a semi-conscious plotline. Enjoy! .

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Please don't sue! I'm a poor college Student!

Chapter Two: Morning Glory

Baku woke up and quickly got off of his futon. He was excited and nervous, and quickly turned to the small shrine he put up in his room to his ancestors. Kneeling down and lighting the incense, he quickly said a prayer that things would work out well. He glanced over at his clock, it was nearly seven, and he knew that Zero would be up probably training with his sword, or sharpening it. He was nearly as religious as Baku about his weapons. Picking up his swords and checking them over once, he slipped them into their respective places at his hips, and exited his room; after opening his window so the incense wouldn't drive everyone crazy, and blowing out the candles.

As Baku rushed towards the kitchen to make himself some rice, he was startled by a scream coming from Zero's room. His gunsoul sinking suddenly, he rushed towards the room, a blade drawn.

"ZERO!" Breaking in the door to Zero's room, he was shocked to see the room empty. Panic running through his mind, Bakunetsumaru quickly checked the window, which was shut. Just as he was about to tear the room to shreds, he heard a small whimper from under the massive four poster bed. Blinking, Baku carefully held his sword and looked under the bed, blinking in shock at the small glowing eyes staring back at him from the far corner.

"Go away!" cried the small figure trying to move farther away from the red and white Gundam. Baku stared though, recognizing the voice.

"Ze…Zero?" The bright blue eyes looked in shock at him, shining slightly from the tears that threatened to flow down his cheeks..

"How do you know my name? Where am I? What's going on?!" Baku stared in utter shock at the small form, carefully turning on his lights that were on either side of his helmet. Now shown in the light, the small form proved itself to be a small child Gundam. Curling up away from Baku, he began to cry. Baku looked at the small Gundam and frowned. Not only did it sound like Zero, although younger, but he even looked like Zero. Though it wasn't the heavy protective armor that Zero had as a knight, it was the same color and style that Baku knew so well.

"Zero…it's me, Baku. Don't you remember…?" The small Zero looked up and held his head.

"My head hurts…" he sniffed looking at Baku's sword worriedly. Baku looked and quickly sheathed it reaching his hand in.

"I'm not going to hurt you Zero. I'm your friend, remember?" Zero fidgeted, but slowly crawled out from under the bed and took Baku's hand, suddenly pausing and looking up at the large brown eyes of the adult Gundam.

"I feel like I know you…" he said softly, carefully crawling out and clinging to Baku's chest shaking and sniffling. "I'm so confused…" Baku blinked and stared at him in shock before wrapping his arms around the small form, holding Zero close.

"You do know me…" he whispered frowning worriedly. Baku sighed and looked at the small Gundam, the red cape that Zero always had was gone. "Its okay, Zero…its okay." Baku held the small Gundam close, looking up as Captain and Guneagle rushed to the door.

"Is everything okay? We heard a scream…!" Captain blinked seeing the small form clinging to Baku's armor. Zero looked up and stared at Captain before shaking and clinging further to Bakunetsumaru.

"Is that…Zero?!" Guneagle cried gaping slightly. Baku gave them both a stern look.

"Stop yelling. You're scaring him…but yes. It's Zero." Baku stroked Zero's head carefully, frowning worriedly at his partner.

Zero cuddled close and sniffed, staring at the two strange Gundams that appeared in the doorway. Though he was scared of them, and how strangely they looked, he was sure that nothing would come to harm him as long as he was in the arms of this even stranger Gundam. Baku…that's what he said he was called. It seemed so familiar, and the heat his body gave off comforted him. Also, he could feel mana…though very obviously this Gundam was not of Lacroa. It confused him, but he felt protected, and that's all that mattered to him.

"What happened…?" Captain asked softly, going over to the two. Baku frowned and shook his head slowly.

"I don't know. I heard Zero scream, and when I came in, he was hiding under the bed like this. I…I don't think he remembers what's going on. I don't think he remembers where he is," Baku said softly caressing the back of Zero's head, just as he would whenever they were alone, although it wasn't as intimate, but rather for comfort. Baku looked down and the blue and white helmet of the small Gundam and felt a surge of protectiveness well inside of him. He would do anything to protect Zero, and help him to get him back to the way he was before. Vaguely, he wondered if this was the way it felt to be a father; as his own father had told him when he was just as young as Zero.

"Wow…he kinda looks cute like this," Guneagle said leaning up against Captain. Though Baku didn't see it, Captain blushed and shyly tried to push the flyer off his shoulder. Guneagle smiled at Captain and flicked his chevron before standing up straight.

"What should we do then?" Captain asked, looking to Baku. Just as Baku was going to speak his and Zero's stomach growled in synchrony. Zero looked up at Baku and giggled a little. Baku smiled back and stood up carefully.

"First on the list is getting some food. We're both starving." Captain and Guneagle nodded backing up to give Baku some room to head to the kitchen. Watching as Baku walked away; they noticed that Zero clung closely to the Musha Gundam, even as he peeked over at them, his eyes full of worry.

"It's okay…I promise nothing will hurt you, Zero. You can trust me." Baku sighed and tried to get Zero to stop clinging to him long enough to eat something. The small Gundam refused to let go, though, insistent upon keeping a hold of his protector.

"Don't want to…" he whispered, looking up at Baku's large brown eyes. Sighing Baku shifted in his seat.

"Okay…but will you at least eat something? Please?" Zero looked at the food that was on the table, a strange white grain and a sweet confection decorated with blue flowers. The sweet thing looked good, but he knew it was probably not for him. Looking back up at Bakunetsumaru, he nodded slowly and turned around in his grip facing the table, and the food. Baku smiled and sighed, glad that his now miniature partner let go of his armor and was sitting quietly on his lap. Moving around Zero, he carefully dished out the rice.

"What is this…?" Zero asked cautiously looking at the warm food.

"It's rice. Try it like this, and then if you want I can add some soy sauce to give it flavor." Zero looked at the plain white grain and nodded obediently carefully picking up the fork and tried a bite. It was plain, actually. But it had a different texture. Zero had almost expected it to taste like oatmeal, like back in Lacroa. He looked at Baku and swallowed his bite.

"What will the soy sauce make it taste like?" he asked innocently. Baku smiled and carefully opened the soy sauce and put some in a small area.

"Try it. I like it plain, but you always liked it with…" Baku frowned and shook his head smiling again. "Just try it. You'll like it." Zero frowned, noticing how Bakunetsumaru's face changed slightly as he thought, but took a bite of some of the rice with the soy sauce anyway. It was better!

"S'good!" Zero said his mouth full. Baku tried not to laugh at the small knight, knowing how many times Zero had scolded him for speaking with his mouth full.

"Told you…and don't speak with your mouth full. It's not becoming of a Knight of Lacroa," Baku said with a chuckle, putting soy sauce on the rest of the rice. Zero swallowed and looked up at Baku curiously.

"I'm not a knight. I want to be when I grow up…how'd you know?" Baku blinked and smiled softly.

"I just know. Doesn't everyone want to be a knight in shinning armor to protect his princess?" Zero blinked but nodded eagerly.

"Course! I don't know if I'll ever be one though." Zero ate his rice and shrugged. "I'm an orphan. Don't knights have to be from royal blood or something?" Baku blinked and remembered that Zero had told him a while ago about how he grew up on the streets Lacroa. It was only because of a stroke of luck that the young Princess ran into him when she tried to run away from her home. They became good friends, and the Princess of Lacroa wanted to help make Zero's dream come true to become a Knight.

"Don't say that Zero. You're going to be a great Winged Knight, and I'm sure you'll capture the hearts of the world when you protect them…" Zero's large blue eyes stared up at Baku and he smiled widely.

"Really?! You think so?!" Baku smiled and nodded patting his head.

"Really. Now eat your rice, and then we can have a piece of Sayla's cake that she made for us." Zero's eyes widened even more, if it was even possible and he started to eat his rice faster. Baku laughed and caught his hand pulling him back. "Not too fast! You'll get a stomach ache…here…why don't you sit down so I can get some rice for myself?" Baku said gently lifting Zero up and setting him on the chair. Zero blinked and looked up at his rice that was now out of his reach and then to Baku.

"I can't reach it now…you made a good booster seat." Zero pouted a bit and looked at Baku, as if simply begging to keep on his lap. Baku sighed and looked around finding a thick phone book. Snapping his fingers he went over and picked it up, setting it on the chair behind Zero.

"How's that?" Zero looked and sat down on the phone book and could now reach his food, but still pouted.

"Still want to sit with you," he muttered. Baku sighed and patted his head.

"I'll sit right next to you okay? I promise that nothing will happen to you, Zero. Don't you trust me?" Zero looked up and nodded slowly. He couldn't act like a child if he was going to be a Knight one day. Baku smiled at him and served himself some rice and sat down next to Zero, before eating his rice with chop sticks. Zero watched him, something about this entire set up seemed familiar, like he had been through it before many times, though very differently. He ate his rice slowly, trying to remember where he had done this before, but came up blank.

"Baku," Zero said looking over at the larger Gundam. Baku swallowed his rice and whipped off the rest that clung to his mouth.

"Yeah?" he asked looking at his charge. Zero looked up at him, studying his face. Everything felt so familiar, like he was just inches away from grasping the memory. Winching suddenly he held his head and found that the memory he almost had was gone.

"N-nothing…" Baku saw the winch and put his hand on the small Gundam's shoulder. Zero looked up again and jumped into his arms clinging.

"Zero…?! Are you okay? What's the matter?" Zero wrapped his arms around Baku's neck and began to cry.

"No…m'not okay. Every time I think I've done this before that I already know you, my head starts to hurt and I can't remember where anymore. I'm scared! I know I know you…but I don't know why! Is there something wrong with me?" Baku held Zero close and sighed rubbing his head, unsure of what to say.

"You have done this before, with me, Zero. Just yesterday we shared the same meal. You kept on yelling at me for talking with my mouth full. I don't know what happened Zero, that made you loose your memory of everything that's happened this past seven months…but I'll do everything I can to get it back for you." Zero looked up at the Musha, sniffling, seeing how upset Baku was as well.

"I've been here for that long…?" Zero asked slowly trying to piece together everything and once again cuddled into Bakunetsumaru's chest plate. "What happened to Lacroa…? What happened to my home…?" Baku frowned and held Zero close frowning.

"I don't want to tell you…you'll get upset. You were thrown from Lacroa by the Princess to keep you safe…you landed here in Neotopia." Baku sighed and rubbed the little knight's back; unsure if what little he did tell Zero would upset him. Zero frowned and tried hard to piece together what Baku was saying. He began to cry in frustration.

"What happened? Tell me what happened, Baku! I'm a big boy I can handle it! Why was I sent away?!" Baku looked down at Zero's pleading eyes and looked away. Could he really tell his best friend and partner in this form what happened?

"There was a war…" Baku said simply swallowing hard. Zero looked at him and swallowed.

"A…war…? Between who? What happened?" Baku sighed and gently repositioned Zero on his lap.

"Between some very bad people and the Knights and kingdom. You were sent away so that you wouldn't get hurt and to find help." Zero frowned and sniffled sadly, not moving from cuddling close to Baku.

"Why me though? I'm not a knight…" Zero muttered trying to make sense of the story.

"Because people loved you…and they knew that you could get help," Baku said sighing slightly. Zero frowned and cuddled sniffling.

"I miss Lacroa…" the young Gundam whispered. Baku nodded in sympathy.

"I know how you feel…" Zero looked up at Baku's face. The red and white Gundam's eyes became distant, and focused on a place that was far beyond this time and place.

"Do you miss your home too…?" Zero asked still cuddling into Baku's warm frame. Baku blinked and came back to the here and now and looked down at the little Gundam cuddling into him.

"Yes…very much so. I miss my family, my brothers and my father…" Baku whispered softly holding Zero close. "And the Gundam I never got to tell how much he meant to me." Zero looked up at him and gently wiped away a tear that threatened to roll down Baku's cheek.

"Please don't cry," Zero requested shocking the Musha slightly. "Your eyes don't need any more sadness. You're a knight from where you come from, I can tell. Knights have to be strong for the people around them, right?" Baku blinked and smiled at the small child Gundam in his arms, gently kissing the jewel on his forehead.

"Thank you. You're right. I will be strong for you, so that you can be strong for everyone else, okay? Is that a deal, my little Winged Knight?" Zero smiled and nodded confidently hugging the Musha tight before going back to his seat.

"Deal." Zero grinned and dove right back into his rice, making a mess as he did. Baku smiled and watched slowly turning back to his rice.

How can I take care of him…? Baku thought, eating his rice quietly, glancing over as Zero shoved another mouthful of rice into his already crammed cheeks. Smiling slightly he put a hand on Zero's arm to slow him down. What if…he doesn't return to normal? What if he stays like this, and never remembers how we were?

"M'done Baku!" Zero said smiling and holding his empty bowl for Baku to see. Baku was startled out of his thoughts and chuckled smiling slightly.

"Would you like more rice, or do you want some cake?" Baku smiled as Zero's bright blue eyes grew wider.

"May I have some cake…?" he asked carefully, almost begging with his eyes. Baku laughed and nodded cutting a piece of cake for him and putting it on a plate.

"Just don't eat it too fast okay?" Zero nodded and stared at the piece of cake in amazement before taking a bite.

"Hey, Baku…?" Zero paused in mid chew looking cautiously at Captain Gundam, who stood in the doorway. Baku finished his bite and put his chopsticks down.

"What is it Captain?"

"We need to talk." Baku nodded and went to get up, suddenly finding a strong small hand on his own, a pair of blue eyes begging him not to leave.

"I'll just be outside the door, okay?" Zero frowned but nodded.

"Okay…" Baku patted his head and went out to meet with Captain.

"Kao Lyn wants to see Zero. Guneagle and I have told Chief Haro about what happened, and he wants Zero to be inspected. It could be a type of trick by the Dark Axis." Bakunetsumaru frowned and nodded.

"I don't think it's a trick by the Dark Axis. I know that it IS Zero in there. How he became a child again, I don't know; but it's not a clone from the Dark Axis." Captain looked at Baku as he glanced back into the small dinette at the blue and white child Gundam who sat patiently picking at his cake.

"We still need to see if there's anything that Kao Lyn can do for him. And if Zero is going to be like this for a while, we may have to find a way to keep him out of danger. Maybe we should keep him in the base until things have gone back to normal." Baku looked at Captain and frowned.

"No, I'll take care of him. I'm the only one he trusts, I won't leave him here alone to be watched over by Kao or Chief or even Guneagle or the Gundivers. I don't want him to be afraid, and if that means he stays with me, then so be it." Baku sighed and shifted his feet. "I'll take Zero down to see Kao Lyn after we've finished eating, and after I've talked to him about it a little." Captain blinked but nodded.

"All right, you two are best friends after all. Don't take too long okay?" Baku nodded and smiled at Captain.

"We won't…" Baku watched as Captain walked away, wishing that things hadn't changed like they had. He and Zero were supposed to tell the members of the Gundam Force about their relationship, so that they wouldn't have to hide; but it was once again out of their reach. Walking back into the small kitchen and dinette, he saw Zero had managed to finish off the cake piece and was sneaking mouthfuls of Baku's rice.

"So, what's going on, Baku?" The small Lacroan asked looking worriedly at the red and white Gundam. Baku smiled and sat down patting Zero's head.

"Captain wants to have you checked out by Kao Lyn. He's the doctor here, well sort of. Personally, I think he's a little weird…" Zero blinked slowly and smirked.

"Then you two probably get along fine! Cuz, you're weird too, but in a good way." Baku blinked and glared at Zero who smirked in that annoyingly innocent way.

"You are such a brat, even like this…" Baku muttered. Zero blinked and looked at Baku seriously.

"What do you mean 'like this'? Is there something you're not telling me?" Zero looked up at Baku, his large eyes questioning the Musha. Baku blinked and mentally cursed himself for having such a loose tongue. He chewed his bottom lip, unsure again if telling Zero that he was actually OLDER than Baku himself would be a good idea.

"Um…it's nothing…" Baku said after a moment, smiling disarmingly at the small Lacroan. Zero frowned, knowing that there was something more that his guardian wasn't telling him, but let it go; he had too much to deal with already.

"So, when are we going to go to this Kao Lyn guy?" Zero asked looking at Baku as he finished his rice.

"Whenever you're ready. He's not a bad guy, like I said, he's just…strange. He tends to do cartwheels, a lot…" Zero giggled and smirked.

"So do you," he said stealing another bite of rice and smiling. Baku blinked and looked at him laughing nervously.

"No I don't…besides how would you know?" Baku looked at Zero, somewhere his heart leaping in hope that Zero remembered something. Zero shrugged and swallowed.

"Dunno, you just seem to be the kind of guy who would do cartwheels sometimes. Probably only after you got praised for something, or found out something you really were hoping for." Baku remembered then, that when he and Zero finally admitted to each other their feelings, he did do a cartwheel, and fell flat on his face in the process. Baku chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, I do, only on rare occasion…"

"And fall flat on your face doing it…" Zero giggled smiling. Baku looked at him, and Zero stopped looking up at him in amazement.

"Did…you remember that…?" Baku said, gunsoul clenching in hope and fear that the young Zero would be terrified of the feelings they shared. Zero frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, dunno what it was about, but you did a cartwheel in the grass, and fell on your face. I remember laughing at you for it too…ahh…" Zero frowned and shook his head, the memory gone like a dream.

"Zero?" Zero frowned and shook his head.

"What…what were we talking about Baku…?" Zero looked up, fear in his eyes. Baku frowned and gently patted his head to calm him down.

"About going to see Kao Lyn…you ready to go now?" Zero frowned and nodded, leaning into the touch.

"Yeah…I…I don't know what just happened. M'scared…" Zero sniffled and buried his head into Baku's larger hand, holding close. Baku quickly and gently picked him up, his gunsoul weeping that once again Zero loosing another part of his memory, holding him close.

"Okay. We'll get this figured out, Zero, I promise…"


	3. Johnny JumpUp

Title: SD Gundam Force – Zero's Curse

Author: LJ

Summery: Deathscythe puts a curse on his old companion, Zero, removing him of his magic, as well as lessening his physical threat.

Pairings: Bakunetsumaru/Zero, Captain/Guneagle

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and romance

Author's note: HA! Finally figured out what else I wanted to do to Zero to be evil. cough wanted to torment Zero/Baku for a while, finally came up with a semi-conscious plotline. Enjoy! .

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Please don't sue! I'm a poor college Student!

Chapter Three: Johnny Jump-up

Zero stared at Kao Lyn as he performed many different acrobatics in the lab. He looked scared, as did Baku.

"Okay…he's weirder than you, Baku…" Zero said leaning back into Baku as he sat on the table patiently.

"At least he hasn't had his daily pot of coffee yet…then…well he scares all of us after a pot or two of coffee…" Guneagle said sighing. Zero looked at Guneagle staring.

"He gets WORSE?!" Zero pushed himself farther into Baku's middle, causing the Musha to grunt and wrap an arm around him.

"It's okay, Zero. He's not going to hurt you…it's scary, I know, but you won't be harmed." Zero looked at Baku and smiled feeling comforted.

"Thanks…"

"All right then! Let's see what's going on here!" Kao Lyn went over and began to run scans over the small Gundam's body so quickly, it made everyone dizzy.

"Any results?" Guneagle asked trying to keep his eyes off of the dizzying Kao Lyn, as he leaned up against the wall.

"None what so ever! He's completely healthy, oh me oh my! It's just as if he took a dip in the fountain of youth!"

"Huh…?" Zero asked shocked at the words. He looked back at Baku, stern questioning in his young eyes. Baku swallowed and shifted.

"You…didn't tell him?" Captain asked.

"Tell me what?" Zero asked his eyes narrow and full of betrayal. Baku shifted his feet and sighed.

"I don't know how to tell you, Zero…" Baku said swallowing hard. Zero glared and stood up on the table looking Baku in the eyes.

"Then just tell me. I don't like being lied too!" Zero's eyes were watering and Baku's gunsoul stung. He hated that look.

"You…you're actually older than me," he blurted. Zero blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh…?"

"What Bakunetsumaru means to say, Zero," Kao Lyn started putting away his tools. "Is that you actually are not a child. When you arrived in Neotopia, you looked just like this!" Kao Lyn handed the small child an image of a tall, noble and strong looking Knight, crests of Lacroa on each shoulder armor pad. Zero stared at it for a long moment, his hands shaking. He began to winch, as shocks of pain ran through his head.

"No…no I don't remember any of this!" Zero began to cry from frustration. "This isn't me! I'm just a street urchin…" Zero put the picture down and cleared his eyes. Baku frowned and gently tried to pull him into a hug. Zero frowned and pulled away from him.

"Zero…" Baku looked shocked at the little Gundam. Zero glared, tears streaming down his face.

"Stay away from me! How do I know that you haven't lied to me again? How do I know you aren't the ones who took me from Lacroa? I don't even know the princess! How do I know you didn't destroy Lacroa…?" The small Gundam's words stung everyone's heart, but Bakunetsumaru's was wounded the worst.

"I wouldn't lie to you…" he tried to say, only to be rebuked by the small Gundam.

"But you have! You aren't telling me a lot of things. Just take me home! I want to go home!" Zero jumped off the table and ran out of the medical bay shoving past anyone that was in his way.

"Zero!" Captain cried going after the little Gundam. Bakunetsumaru stood there, swallowing hard and hanging his head. Guneagle frowned and watched as streams of tears fell down his face and to the floor.

"Baku…" Guneagle went over and put a hand on his shoulder swallowing. Bakunetsumaru pushed his hand away and leaned up against the table his frame shuddering.

"Damn it…" he whispered. Guneagle frowned but put his hand back on his shoulder giving it a squeeze.

"Hey, he's a kid okay? If I were in his position I'd be suspicious of things too. It's not your fault. Come on let's go find him. I doubt Zero forgot everything okay?" Baku blinked and looked up at Guneagle who smiled.

"What do you mean?" he asked frowning.

"The memories are still there, he just can't reach them. Sort of like when a computer screen dies, but the hard drive still works," Kao Lyn said smiling. "He just can't see them, but they're still there."

"Besides, you're the only one he went to, right?" Baku nodded at Guneagle's words clearing his eyes.

"Yeah…"

"He remembers how you protected him during battles, even though he doesn't know it. Now come on, Captain needs help finding the little brat." Baku watched as Guneagle left turning down the same hallway that Captain Gundam did. Kao Lyn smiled and patted Bakunetsumaru on the head.

"Remember how you were when you first came here? If you love him, don't let him wonder around alone." Baku stared at the strange engineer who simply smiled and turned back to one of his many projects.

"Thanks…" he said before rushing out.

Zero ran through the immense base trying to find a way out. He dodged the other Gundams and humans, not pausing for a moment when they gasped and called after him. Shoving past everyone, Zero started to cry, becoming more and more confused and scared as he tried to find a way out of the maze of hallways. Slowing down as he entered a massive storage room and repair bay for the Gunperries, Zero began to cry even more. Making his way into a Gunperry, Zero curled up behind the boxes of supplies and tried to remember what had happened.

"I just…don't know what to believe." Zero sniffled and looked at his feet, seeing a splotch of soy sauce on the white armor staining it a weird brown. "I want my mom…" he whispered pulling his knees up to his chest. It was the first time in a very long time that he had wished that he knew where his mother and father were, and could be comforted by them.

"Zero…?" Zero stiffened hearing a voice from the door. He tried to match the face to the voice, and figured it was that Captain guy who Baku had spoken with. He stayed quiet, he heard someone else speak with Captain.

"Zero? It's Baku…do you want to talk?" Zero frowned and cleared his eyes slowly standing up and peeking out the door of the Gunperry.

"Why?" he asked looking at Baku who stood in the doorway. Baku moved closer and sat down on a box.

"To apologize for lying, and to try and make you trust me again." Zero blinked and watched as Captain left them alone. Baku cleared his eyes and looked up at the small Gundam sitting on the edge of the Gunperry.

"Why did you lie?" Zero asked watching Baku who looked at his hands.

"I didn't want to, but I was afraid that you wouldn't believe me. I really care about you, Zero. You've been my best friend since the moment I came to Neotopia. I really want to get you back to normal. And have you yell at me for speaking with my mouth full, and make those princess roses appear on my head whenever I do something stupid…" Zero watched carefully, seeing Baku's hand fiddle with nothing. He looked up and saw again the wisps of mana along the red and white musha's form.

"So that's why you have mana surrounding you…? Because we were friends?" Bakunetsumaru looked up and smiled nodding.

"Yeah, I can't see it, or use it, but…you always would try to teach me. Said something about me being compatible or something," Baku muttered shrugging. Zero slipped down out of the Gunperry and went over looking at Baku.

"I forgive you," he said simply. Baku looked down at him and smiled, relief flooding his features. "I don't think you would lie about that…m'sorry I hurt your feelings." Zero carefully hugged Baku, standing on his tiptoes to reach his waist. Baku smiled and lifted him up, hugging the small frame.

"It's okay. I did the same thing when I first came here. I was scared, and I didn't want to believe anyone. You were the one who helped comfort me. Guess I'm just returning the favor." Zero smiled and nuzzled into Baku's neck, something so comforting and familiar about it. Zero vaguely wondered that if he wasn't changed back, if Baku would keep taking care of him, and be like his big brother.

"M'sorry I ran away," Zero whispered relaxing in Bakunetsumaru's grip. Baku smiled and rubbed his head gently.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, you know what you would like?" Zero looked up and blinked smiling.

"What?" he said, an eager tone to his voice. Baku smiled and chuckled.

"How about after we get you into a bath, we go and visit Sayla? She made that cake you had for breakfast, maybe she's making another one today," Baku said with a bright smile. Zero returned it, his blue eyes shining in eagerness.

"Sure!" Baku smiled and laughed warmly, glad to see the youthful vigor and innocence return to the small child's eyes.

"All right, first a bath, then we'll go and see Sayla." Zero jumped up and wrapped his small arms around Baku's neck and hugged him close.

"Okay…"

"It's not cold is it…?" Zero asked looking suspicious at the bathtub. Baku sighed and shook his head.

"No, it's nice and warm. See?" Baku carefully splashed the blue and white Gundam's face with the warm water, seeing his reaction.

"Hey! No fair!" Zero splashed the Musha back grinning. Baku laughed and chuckled.

"Okay that's enough, time to get in." Baku took off Zero's light child armor and helped him into the tub. Zero sulked but relaxed in the warm water, sighing.

"Mmm…warm…" Baku smiled and took off his forearm armor and got a washcloth. Dipping it into the warm water Baku plopped it on top of Zero's head, smiling widely. Zero squeaked and looked up and Baku pouting playfully.

"Stay still, kid," Baku said quietly, gently rubbing his head. Zero chuckled and tilted his head, letting the older Gundam clean out the mess he had made of himself from running around the base and from breakfast.

"Baku…?" Zero asked as he began to clean his back and shoulders. Baku smiled and looked at him.

"Yeah, Zero?" Zero looked back at him and fidgeted slightly in the water.

"If…if I don't go back to the way I was…are…are you still going to look after me? You've been so nice to me, and…well I don't have any parents anyway. I guess what I'm trying to ask is…" Zero looked down at his feet and chewed his lip. Baku blinked and wondered if he could do it, if he could be Zero's guardian if he couldn't be returned to normal.

"I'll look after you. I always will." Zero looked up at Baku and smiled. Baku smiled back and patted his head.

"Thanks, Baku," Zero said feeling much better that he knew the answer. Baku smiled and soaked his head playfully.

"No more worrying about it, okay?" Zero laughed and splashed him nodding.

"Okay." Baku smiled and cleaned the water off of his face before going back to washing the young Gundam. The samurai knew that even though Zero was a child, his love had only changed slightly for him. He would protect him, and care for him. Even if their relationship were different, Baku would never stop loving him.

"Ack! That tickles!" Zero cried as Bakunetsumaru began to clean under his arm. Baku laughed and continued his attack trying to keep from being soaked as Zero splashed him back.

"Okay! Uncle, uncle!" Baku cried holding up his hands. Zero laughed and stopped splashing him smiling.

"I win!" Zero said crossing his arms over his chest. Baku laughed at him and emptied the tub before reaching for a towel.

"Okay, enough of that, we're gonna dry you off and then get this armor nice and clean okay? Then we'll be off to Sayla's." Zero got out of the tub and took the towel offered to him and dried off.

"Deal! I can't wait to meet her. I really liked the cake she made." Zero rubbed his head dry and watched as Baku began to clean his light child armor. Baku smiled and finished polishing his helmet.

"Yeah, me too, even though she's just a kid, she makes great cakes. Huh…" Baku frowned and looked over Zero's helmet.

"What is it?" Zero asked walking over. Baku chuckled and adjusted the straps on the inside.

"Here, now it should fit better." Baku placed the helmet on Zero's try head, and it sat more comfortably on his head.

"Wow, thanks…I didn't realize how uncomfortable it was." Baku smiled and patted his helmet chuckling.

"No problem, I had to learn the hard way how to adjust my helmet. My brothers wouldn't show me, said that I had to learn on my own." Baku chuckled and went to cleaning Zero's forearm armor, carefully getting the rice grains out of the grooves.

"That wasn't nice of them. How many brothers do you have?"

"Seven. I'm the youngest." Zero gaped in amazement.

"Wow…that's a big family!" Baku nodded and chuckled putting Zero's forearm armor on him before moving to the next piece.

"Yeah," Baku said trying to keep the sadness out of his voice as he thought about his family. Zero didn't notice as he helped try to clean his armor. Baku turned away from the thoughts of his family and watched Zero. Laughing slightly, Baku handed him his chest armor.

"Thanks!" Zero said smiling brightly as he put it on carefully. Baku finished cleaning up his charge's armor and helped him put on the ankle cuffs when he was finished.

"There…all set. Now let's go and meet Sayla. Maybe we can get to taste some home made frosting." Zero grinned brightly and jumped down from his seat.

"I'm ready! Let's go let's go let's go!" Zero grabbed Baku's hand and pulled him along grinning widely. Baku laughed and walked with him.

"Relax, okay? We're going." Baku walked along holding Zero's hand so he wouldn't run off again and get lost. Zero was pulling him along eagerly, looking each way for a door to lead outside.

"Uh…where do we go to leave?" he asked after a moment smiling nervously. Baku laughed and patted his head.

"Just follow me, Zero." Baku headed out to the deck of the base, keeping a firm hold on Zero's hand so he wouldn't run around and fall off.

"Wooow…I didn't know we were in the SKY!" Zero said looking around, and easily wiggling out of Bakunetsumaru's firm grip. Zero ran off to the side railing, causing Baku to have heart failure.

"Zero! Be careful!" The Musha rushed after him just as he reached the railing and peeked over the edge. Quickly grabbing a hold of Zero before he started to lean over farther, Baku sighed in relief.

"Awh, I wasn't gonna fall, Baku…" Zero said pouting. Baku laughed uneasily and kept a hold on him.

"Well, I didn't want a gust of wind to come along and blow you over." Zero gave Baku a flat look but backed away from the edge and smiled.

"Okay, so, where do we find Miss Sayla?" Baku smiled and headed to a Gunperry.

"We have to go down to Neotopia."

"Should we tell the others?" Zero asked as he climbed into the Gunperry. Baku shook his head and joined him sitting on the fold down seats and strapping them both in.

"It's okay, I let Captain know already I was going to take you to see Sayla. We're ready for take off," Baku said giving the pilot thumbs up. The pilot returned the thumbs up and started up the engines. Zero smiled and looked around the transport, practically bouncing in his seat.

"So what's she like, Baku?" he asked looking up at his guardian. Baku chuckled and patted his head.

"She's really nice. Well I'll let you see for yourself when we get there." Zero smiled and waited eagerly.

"Hello Bakunetsumaru!" Sayla cried waving from her workstation where she was designing yet another cake. Baku waved back and watched as other mobile citizens went around preparing yet more cake batter for their prodigy baker.

"Hello, Sayla. I hope we're not interrupting anything." Sayla smiled and walked over, smoothing her sundress out.

"Of course not, I love it when you and Shute's other friends come to visit. Oh! Who's your little friend?" Sayla smiled and knelt down to Zero's eyelevel and smiled, offering her hand. "My name is Sayla. I'm pleased to meet you!"

"This is Zero, Sayla. We don't know what happened, but he doesn't remember anything that's happened. I was hoping that if I reminded him of everything that he knew he might remember." Baku shrugged a bit as Zero blushed at Sayla and fidgeted.

"H-hi miss Sayla…" Zero said taking her hand and kissing it gently, having seen that that was what knights did to beautiful ladies. Sayla blushed and patted his head, laughing softly.

"He's still such a proper knight, though. So then," Sayla said standing up. "Would you two like to help me make a cake? I would love to have your help, especially yours Zero." The small Gundam brightened and grinned widely.

"I'd love to! As long as it's okay with Baku." Zero looked up hopefully at the Musha who grinned.

"Sure, although I'm not quite sure what we could do to help," he said rubbing the back of his helmet nervously. Sayla giggled and smiled.

"You can do plenty! Come on!" Sayla quickly grabbed their hands and ushered them to the back room. "Just wash your hands and then you can put on these!" Sayla smiled and produced two aprons and hats for the Gundams. Baku stared at the aprons and mentally groaned. They were flowery, and girly, and entirely NOT becoming of a samurai; but he would wear it if it made Sayla and Zero happy. After washing their hands, Baku and Zero put on their aprons and hats, the former much less enthusiastically than the latter.

"So what do we do first, Sayla?" Zero asked. The young girl smiled and walked over to one of the mixers and smiled.

"How about we start on a chocolate cake? Zero, you can be in charge of mixing, and Baku can help me work on the ingredients." Both Zero and Bakunetsumaru smiled thinking about a fresh chocolate cake, Zero thinking more about the batter.

"All right, so what do we do?" A mobile citizen came over and offered Zero a stool to sit on to watch, which he eagerly thanked him for. Sayla smiled and pulled up a recipe that her mother had give her.

"Well, how about you help me shave the baker's chocolate? And Zero, how about if you sift the flower and sugar."

"Okay!" Zero smiled as Sayla pulled out all the ingredients and bowls. Baku smiled at Zero as Sayla give him a bowl and sifter. The young girl measured out the flower, sugar, salt and baking powder and put it in the sifter.

"Now you just sift that okay? Make sure that you get it all mixed up." Zero smiled and nodded to Sayla, carefully turning the crank while holding the metal sifter. Sayla smiled and handed Bakunetsumaru a chief's knife and unwrapped the dark bar of chocolate.

"So just cut it up then?" Bakunetsumaru asked. Sayla nodded and smiled turning to get some eggs.

"Really fine, like powder if you can do it." Bakunetsumaru nodded and began to cut chunks off the chocolate, catching the eye of Zero.

"That looks really good…" Zero said sifting the ingredients together; tapping the sides of the sifter to make sure he got everything. Baku nodded and cut a small piece off for both of them.

"Yeah, I'm sure Sayla won't mind if we try some. I love chocolate. Here," Baku handed the small Gundam boy his piece and popped his into his mouth. Zero followed suit and chewed. Suddenly, both Gundams' eyes went wide and they made a gagging noise looking for a trashcan. The two scrambled over to a nearby can and spit out their chocolate pieces grabbing paper towels to wipe away the taste.

"Gah! That's bad chocolate! It's bitter!" Zero cried making a face. Baku nodded and spit into the trashcan again and tossed the paper towel in as well.

"Really bad chocolate," Baku said making a face. Sayla giggled coming back up with several eggs and milk.

"Of course it tastes bad, its BAKER'S chocolate. It doesn't have any sugar in it," she said with a smile. The two Gundams smiled nervously and returned to their posts. Sayla chuckled and went over to the mixer and cracked open the eggs.

"So, that's why there's so much sugar in it?" Zero asked finishing his sifting. Sayla nodded and threw out the eggshells.

"Yep. Let's see, now we add in some milk." Zero watched as the girl poured the milk in and gave it back to a helper GM who put in back in the refrigerator. Zero turned back and watched as Baku expertly chopped up the chocolate nearly into powder.

"Wow, yer good at that, Baku." Baku smiled and shrugged.

"I'm a Samurai, I have to be good with swords." Zero continued to watch and smiled. Baku was expertly cutting up the chocolate and filling up a measuring cup.

"That's perfect, Baku!" Sayla said with a bright smile. "I'm thinking we might put walnuts in this cake too. Zero I'll need your help to put in the sugar and flower okay?" Zero turned to her and bobbed his head smiling.

"Okay!" Sayla smiled and turned on the mixer, helping Zero put spoonfuls of the mix into the mixer. Baku went over and smiled wiping his hands on his apron.

"So, Sayla, any chance we'll be able to try some today?" he asked smiling hopefully. The young girl looked up and giggled.

"Of course! We'll have to wait for this cake to cool before we frost it, but my mother baked some cookies earlier that we can have while it cooks."

"Really?! Thanks Miss Sayla!" Zero said smiling brightly, pouring a large amount of flower and sugar into the mix by accident, and covering the trio's faces with the mixture.

"Oh my!" Sayla giggled looking at the two Gundams. "We're covered with flower now!" Zero saw her and blinked, something in his mind flicking to the front.

"You look like a statue, Sayla," Baku said with a smile brushing himself and Zero off. Sayla giggled and nodded blinking slowly as Zero continued to stare at her.

"Zero? Are you all right?" She brushed herself off frowning worriedly at the young Gundam. Zero blinked and nodded slowly, smiling a bit.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay. I just remember seeing something like that before." Baku blinked and looked down at him trying not to be as hopeful as before.

"R-really?" Zero nodded and looked up at him, slowly smiling.

"Yeah! That's…that's all I remember is just seeing a statue looking like that before, and that's it, but it's not going away!" Zero beamed excitedly and jumped into Baku's arms. Bakunetsumaru smiled brightly and hugged him close.

"That's wonderful!" he cried. Sayla smiled and nodded in agreement.

"It is! Come on, let's finish up this cake and make the frosting and then have some cookies!" Zero nodded looking back at Sayla smiling brightly. Baku smiled brightly as well, setting Zero back down on the stool, hope restored that Zero could return to normal.

"These are really good, Sayla," Baku said munching on a chocolate chip cookie. Zero agreed happily kicking his feet on the bench outside of Sayla's home and bakery, his face splotched with chocolate. Sayla giggled and drank her milk, a cookie in her other hand.

"Thanks, my mother makes the best chocolate cookies in the world." Sayla smiled and handed Zero a napkin to wipe his face clean.

"Thanks Sayla," Zero said as he cleaned his face.

"You're welcome. So, what should we decorate the cake as?" Sayla asked munching on another cookie. The two Gundams shrugged and continued to munch oblivious to the world outside that time.

"Maybe…we should decorate it with pretty flowers!" Zero said with a smile. "In Lacroa there's always been really pretty flowers all around." Sayla smiled and nodded in agreement.

"How about we make it of Lacroa then? But I'll need your help, okay?" Zero beamed excitedly and nodded.

"I think that's a great idea. Maybe we could make one of Ark too…wait…I have a better idea! How about we make it of all three worlds?! Ark, Lacroa and Neotopia." Sayla beamed at them, her eyes shinning.

"That's wonderful! Then we could give it to the Gundam Force!" The duo smiled and nodded at the young girl.

"YEAH! That's a great idea! It'll be the best cake in the world!" Zero said jumping up on the bench. "And Baku and me and that Captain guy and those guys at the base will love it! It'll be like a big party!" Baku and Sayla laughed, loving the plans that they had spontaneously come up with.

"Yes! And we can invite Mayor Margate too! Shute will love it! We should make it a surprise party too! Only the three of us will know." Baku nodded in agreement smiling.

"Yes! We'll have everyone there! It'll be like there's no war at all!" The two smiled brightly and nodded in agreement putting their hands out, one over the other. Baku smiled and added his hand in as well joy glowing from his eyes.

"M'sleepy, Baku…" Zero said cuddling up against Baku's warm armor. It was nearing sunset, and they were headed towards the base to meet up with a Gunperry to take them up into the aerial base. Baku smiled and held Zero close to his soul stone, cradling him.

"I know. We're almost home. So where do you want to sleep tonight? You can sleep in your room where you were this morning, or if you want I can roll out a sleeping bag and you can sleep in my room." Zero blinked and looked up at Baku cuddling closer, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"Wanna sleep with you. I don't wanna be alone." Baku smiled and held him close.

"Okay. You can sleep in my room." Zero smiled and sighed happily.

"Good. I like you, Baku," Zero said softly, his eyes already slipping closed. Baku blushed and smiled carefully entering the Gunperry.

"I like you too, Zero." Baku smiled and sighed looking out as the sun began to set.

Carefully setting Zero on his bed, Baku rolled out a spare mattress and blankets out on the floor. Getting up, Baku smiled at Zero, who had claimed a tatami pillow as his nighttime cuddle item. Going over and picking up the small child, Bakunetsumaru placed him on the mattress and covered him up with several blankets, knowing that Zero hated being cold while he was an adult.

"Goodnight, Zero. I love you, and I promise that we will find a way to get you back to normal. When you do get back to normal, I don't care what anyone will think, we'll tell them. Sweet dreams, Zero…" Baku gave him a kiss upon the forehead and got up lying down in his bed, turning out his light.

OOooOO

Author's Note: ACK! i forgot to upload this chapter! I need to start focusing on certain stories, thanks for all your support and patience! :D


End file.
